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News of Note

Animal rights group’s suit to allege Sea World is keeping orcas in slavery
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans Wednesday to sue Sea World for allegedly violating the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which bans slavery — by keeping orcas at parks in San Diego and Orlando, Fla., organization officials said Tuesday. The lawsuit, set to be filed in San Diego federal court, is considered the first of its kind and, if successful, would represent a large enhancement of the animal-rights movement. Part of the lawsuit asserts that it is illegal to artificially inseminate the females and then take away their babies.

Well’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2011
Every fall, Well goes vegetarian for Thanksgiving, taking the meaty bird off the table to make room for a spectacular array of vegetarian soups, sides, main courses, salads and desserts. So get ready to save a turkey and savor the flavors of your most creative Thanksgiving ever.

Exotic animals lived in ‘horrific’ conditions on Ohio farm
In new details released Wednesday, a Columbus Zoo and Aquarium employee described conditions at the farm where 56 exotic animals were freed as “horrific.” Minutes from an Oct. 24 meeting of an Ohio task force charged with updating regulations for exotic animal ownership in Ohio were released Wednesday. During the meeting, former Columbus Zoo director Jack Hanna urged the group to work quickly. Hanna said new standards and fees need to be strong and costly enough to deter owners. People think they’re loving and caring for the animals, he said, but individual ownership is a “no-no.” “The world is watching us. Ohio is setting precedents for the entire country,” he said.

Smart Chimp Gets Speech Like a Human
A 25-year-old chimpanzee named “Panzee” has just demonstrated that speech perception is not a uniquely human trait. Well-educated Panzee understands more than 130 English language words and even recognizes words in sine-wave form, a type of synthetic speech that reduces language to three whistle-like tones. This shows that she isn’t just responding to a particular person’s voice or emotions, but instead she is processing and perceiving speech as humans do.

Do Animals Know Right from Wrong? New Clues Point to ‘Yes’
For years, these scientists categorically ruled out the possibility that animals might have a sense of morality — that they know right from wrong. Lately, though, the tide is turning. “People used to like to make that stark division between human and nonhuman animals,” said ethologist Marc Bekoff. “But there’s just no doubt that the scientific evidence for animal morality is accumulating as more and more animals are studied.”

Could we face the return of CJD? Experts fear it may lie dormant in thousands
New evidence collected by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) suggests that one in 4,000 people who were eating meat before 1996 is probably carrying CJD (after that date, cattle infected with mad cow disease were, theoretically, removed from the food chain). The findings — which received little publicity when published a few weeks ago — are mid-way results of a programme testing 30,000 samples of tonsil and appendix tissue removed during routine operations across the country.

ASPCA: Carriage Horse Likely Had Underlying Medical Problems
A New York City carriage horse who died unexpectedly on his way to work in Central Park on October 23 likely had underlying medical problems, according to the results of a necropsy conducted at Cornell University. “We are very concerned that Charlie was forced to work in spite of painful maladies, and these particular health issues can be difficult to diagnose because draft horses are by nature a stoic breed, not displaying signs until they are very severe,” said Pamela Corey, the director of equine veterinary services with the ASPCA, in a statement

Sudden death of famed show-jumping horse consistent with severe heart stress
veterinarian Peter Physick-Sheard said Hickstead’s demise is consistent with his studies into sudden death in competitive horses. For the past several years, Dr. Physick-Sheard has been conducting research into the effects of intense exercise on the heart rates and rhythms of racehorses – both standardbred and thoroughbred – at Woodbine and Mohawk racetracks in Ontario.

Alaska veterinarians office treads lightly on animal care rules
The Office of the State Veterinarian is treading lightly as it begins work on drafting expanded animal health care standards for sled dogs, pets, horses and other animals. The issue likely will be a heated discussion in a state famous for its sled dogs and sub-zero temperatures and the State Veterinarian’s office is doing all it can to make sure mushers, veterinarians and the general public will get a say in shaping the standards.

A Fresh Approach to a Vegan Diet
Chloe Coscarelli, winner of the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars,” is putting a fresh face on vegan cooking. She follows a strict vegan diet, which means no animal products – including meat, fish, dairy and eggs. “A lot of people think that vegan cooking is really restrictive, but I think it’s actually a much more inclusive diet,” she said. “Because all of a sudden, you’re opening your eyes to all these new foods and vegetables; fruits like legumes, beans, different places that you can get protein and taste that you probably wouldn’t know about before if you were just eating meat.”

Cycle Dogs will be having a fundraiser to benefit Enchanted Forest Vegan Animal Sanctuary

Thursday Nite is Taco Nite with Cycle Dogs and on Feb 1 we are offering a free side of #vegan queso and chips with every ticket. We will be donating 15% of our sales to Enchanted Forest Vegan Animal Sanctuary. The Sanctuary has taken on quite a few rescues recently and is in need of assistance with their fundraising goals to make sure their animals are getting necessary medical treatment.

Save the date for HSUS's Humane Lobby Day in Olympia. This will be a day to engage in direct democracy on behalf of animals: learn about current legislative issues and how to advocate effectively to your elected officials.

NARN's board of directors meets monthly to discuss our campaigns and administrative issues. Guests are welcome to attend if we have enough time on our agenda.

If you wish to have an agenda item added to the NARN Board Meeting, please email info@narn.org at least a day in advance. You can also send us a message on Facebook anytime or even the day of the meeting and we'll get back to you. All NARN Board Meetings are held in Seattle.

Join activists from Seattle Farmed Animal Save for a peaceful vigil outside the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion to raise awareness about the plight of farmed animals in our communities.
They will have signs to hold. You're always welcome to bring your own signs with peaceful messages. Please bring friends, family, or come on your own!

They recommend parking across the street from the sales pavilion at the public park. If you have any questions about this event or think that you may be interested in being a volunteer or co-organizer with our group, please email us at seattlefarmedanimalsave@gmail.com

See the FB event page for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/events/578872455790218/

The University of Washington's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will be meeting to discuss various research protocols (study designs). This is your chance to voice your opinion about the research on animals that goes on at the UW. Please come and speak for the animals!
The meetings are held at the South Campus Center; Room #350 (in between San Juan Road & Columbia Road); behind the Magnuson Health Sciences Center (1925 N.E. Pacific St) )
http://www.washington.edu/maps/
Unfortunately, they frequently re-schedule or cancel their meetings in an attempt to avoid the public, so please call the Public Affairs Office at 206-543-9180 to make sure the meeting is still happening at the given time.
You can also check out their calendar here
http://depts.washington.edu/oawhome/review-calendar/

This month we will head on over to the delicious and all vegan Wayward Cafe.
http://www.waywardvegancafe.com/

The Social Discussion Group is a casual event. Drinkers and non-drinkers are welcome, and you don't have to be vegetarian to participate. We hope you'll join us! Questions? Contact rachel[at]narn[dot]org

Vegan Haven is Seattle's only non-profit, volunteer-powered 100% Vegan Grocery Store. Join us on Sunday February 18th, 2018 from 10am to 7pm for a Vegan Bake Sale to support Pigs Peace Sanctuary. 100% of bake sale proceeds go directly to the pigs!

When: ONE DAY ONLY Sunday February 18th, 2018 from 10am to 7pm.

See the FFB event page for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/events/164605127599253/

See the first Seattle public screening of "Cascade Crossroads" a 30-minute documentary film chronicling the story unfolding over and under Interstate 90 just east of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Here at the intersection of an east-west transportation corridor and a north-south wildlife migration corridor, a monumental project combining conservation, collaboration, and innovation led to the construction of North Americas largest wildlife crossings project in conjunction with major infrastructure improvements for motorists.
Seward Park Audubon Center is a proud sponsor of this film.

Free, but advance tickets required

More information on the Facebook event page
https://www.facebook.com/events/1908422852532945/

Why letter writing? Letter writing is a simple way to make change for the animals! At our letter writing events, we write for many different reasons: opposition to the creation of new animal laboratories, support for sending animals to sanctuary, promotion of vegan events and issues through letters to the media, and raising the spirits of activists and comrades who have been jailed for their pro-animal actions.

NARN provides the stationery, pens, stamps, sample letters, and ideas for what to write -- just bring yourself. You can even bring your laptop if you'd prefer to type or email your letters!